Page 64 of Anything But a Duke
“I hope he’s mostly told you about my pneumatic cleaning system, Mr. Repton.”
The old man chortled. “Why, yes, of course.” His eyes widened behind the polished brass rims of his spectacles as he took in the machine. “Do you mind if I...?” He wriggled his fingers in the air.
“Touch it?” Two tiny lines formed between her brows. “Certainly. I plan to demonstrate its effectiveness for you today too. This is a complete working model.”
“I wish to have a look first, if I may.”
Diana’s jaw tensed as the man stepped toward her machine.
Aidan approached to whisper to her. “It’s all right. Let him look all he likes. If he’s to sell these in his shops, he’ll want to know them intimately.”
She snapped her gaze to Aidan’s, and then stared at his mouth.
The urge to send Repton packing and resume what had only just begun between them was terribly tempting. But he knew what this opportunity meant to her. If Repton bought her machine, it could bring Diana the success she longed for, both recognition for her inventions and financial reward.
“You say you can demonstrate it now?” Repton dipped his head and gazed at them over the rim of his spectacles.
Diana stepped forward and repeated the procedure she had done in her laboratory. This time the pump was primed and it was only a matter of shaking a bit of dust on the carpet and using the metal hose to pull up the particles.
Aidan held back. He was anxious to assist her if necessary, but he was acutely aware that she needed to show mastery of her machine on her own. A few paces back, he could also keep one eye on Repton, gauging his response. The man was decidedly intrigued. His brows did a merry dance on his forehead and his eyes widened and narrowed during the demonstration.
“Well done, Miss Ashby,” he said when she was finished. “But may I try the machine for myself?” He extracted a plump envelope from his coat pocket, tore off the edge, and poured out what looked to be a combination of ash and dirt onto Aidan’s study carpet.
Luckily, he’d chosen a deep burgundy rug to cover the floor.
“The pump mechanism may need to be reprimed,” Diana told Repton when he strode up and lifted the main tube of the device in his hands.
“Why don’t you do those honors, Iverson?” Repton directed over his shoulder.
Diana shot him a disgruntled frown, but he nodded. She had to understand that no buyer would sell a product he hadn’t tested thoroughly. To do so might harm his own reputation.
When Aidan approached to reach for the lever and prepare the pump, Diana stepped in front of him.
“I can do this,” she said softly, but with a thread of steel behind every syllable.
His hands brushed her body and he couldn’t resist letting his palm linger at her back for a moment where Repton couldn’t see. She was trembling and he kept his hand in place far longer than he should have, attempting to offer whatever meager comfort he could.
Once the pump was ready, Diana flipped the lever and Repton struggled to hold the tube steady as he ran it over the mess he’d made. Unlike Diana, he allowed the opening to connect with the carpet, where it stayed.
“If you just—” Diana tried.
“I can manage on my own, Miss Ashby.” Repton ignored her attempts to set him right and fumbled with the hose for a while longer before he finally understood the principle. “Oh yes,” he said as the device cleared every scrap of detritus he’d deposited. “This works quite well.”
Diana’s face lit in a grin, and Aidan couldn’t help but smile too.
“Can I assume that means you’d like to enter an order for a few devices, Repton?”
“Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Iverson.” The American dusted off his hands as if he’d just personally cleaned the floor with a brush and pan. “Have you created many of these devices, miss? Or is this your only prototype?”
“Currently, this is the only working model, but with Mr. Iverson’s investment—”
“I ship out to New York in two weeks. Can you have five completed by then?”
Aidan could feel Diana’s fear and uncertainty from across the room, but he could also taste her eagerness. This was what she’d been waiting for.
“Yes,” he told Repton confidently. Whatever she needed—supplies, tools, even warehouse space—he could provide to make this sale successful.
Diana clenched the edge of her skirt in her hands and cast him a questioning glance. “I’m not sure that’s true.”
